When I was in high school, there was a week when we had four snow days in a row. Today marks two snow days in a row and I do not remember snow days being this boring. Oh my God! One snow day, cool, I can get myself organized, make my plans, get my copies done, not have to wait in line at the copier, not have to worry about looking perplexed at the copier, not having to worry about people staring at me awkwardly as I dance to the beat of the copier... Okay, so two people caught me. They just kept walking. I spent a lot of time with the copier... Don't get any ideas, no clothes were pushed up or down and no body parts touched the copier. Well, my finger did but who cares about that?
Woah tangent!
But I guess that goes to show how exciting the last two days have been.
Today I wrote out grammar work sheets. Woo? Oh, and I finished a handout on grammar. Yeah, that was fun. I ate a sandwich... it was roast pork... my mom made it. She only put mayo on one side. Why? I don't understand that.
Another thing I realized! Okay, I've printed novels before. I've printed three novels, three times. That's a lot of paper. And I felt a little guilty. I don't feel guilty about that anymore. In the last two days I've brought home enough paper to make up at least four novels. The stack on my dining room table (my family had better not touch it or so help me!) is at least 4" high. And that's just work for three days. Where does all this paper go as soon as the semester ends? I assume you all know or remember the answer to that question. How awful is that? I never realized before. We are terrible wasters of paper! THE TREES! THE POOR TREES! I weep for them.
Sorry, it's late and I couldn't find a shorter clip or one that didn't announce that it was an evaluation copy. But if you have ten minutes free and want a chuckle... I hope you enjoy.
Okay, I don't know how much more random I'm willing to get so I'm calling it a night. Night!
Lauren.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Yesterday Today: Placement and Glee
Alright, well, if this post is posted a day late, I wrote it on time. For whatever reason, blogger wouldn’t let me log in. Let’s blame it on the weather. Speaking of which, the weather here is atrocious. We had our first snow day of the year. As a student, particularly in high school, I tended to go to school even if the buses were cancelled. I was awful at math and I had some problems with science. They were good days to get one on one time with my teachers and ask all the questions I needed to. They were good catch up days. As a teacher, it’s pretty much the same. I don’t feel I got a lot of work done, but I am ahead of where I was yesterday.
Also, I met yet another person related to one of my profs. She’s a lovely person and I found her interesting to talk to. That being said, I need to get the hell out of here and go where only a select few know my name, face, address and GPA. I don’t usually mind knowing people, but this year, the amount of toes I can potentially tread on just makes me wish I were anonymous.
But on to Glee!
I’m actually quite happy with Santana’s storyline. I was in a similar situation with my grandmother just this weekend. The difference is that I didn’t tell my grandma. There’s no point really. Santana has Brittany. I don’t have anyone. It would just be words with no evidentiary support. I don’t feel like potentially alienating someone for words. But it was nice to see Santana moving forward. I also didn’t hate Finn. He was actually a decent guy in this episode. Has been for the last two. I don’t know what’s going on but knock it off! He’s a hindrance to my Faberry! Yeah, I went there. What?
Also, to my female friends: WTF? I have come out to each and every one of you and have you offered to sing and dance to a Katy Perry song with me? No. No you have not. Dropping the ball much? Look up Glee to see how they do it. They do coming out right… They do, they do!
Shelby and Puck = icky.
Coach Beist = don’t fight for a guy who doesn’t know who he wants. Go for someone who wants you and only you.
Rachel: WHY? Idiot.
Quinn = The crazy has not yet begun has it? Can someone deal with her please? Rachel, you’ve got some spare time. (cough! Faberry).
And that’s it for today.
Lauren.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Back at Placement
Grad school application 1 is gone. It's up to... whoever/whatever runs the universe now.
That's a really crappy introduction, but, that's all I really have to say about that today. And it had to be said. I'm hoping for the best. That's a lie. I don't hope. I remain cautiously optimistic. That way disappointment isn't completely crippling.
On to more enthusiastic topics! I went back to placement today! I must admit, I was kind of excited. It's nice to be back in class after coming off placement, but it's also nice to be back on placement after a long bout of classes. Goes to show that I'm never happy. EVER! Either way, I got a nice reception from the English students. Of course, I was on youtube at the time and one of the boys sitting next to me got quite a chuckle out of it. It didn't matter that I was looking for material for their class. I would get busted. Another girl came up to me and said "Hi Miss Daily!". I was looking at something on my computer so I hadn't seen her come up. I heard her, but it still took about twenty seconds to realize that she was talking to me. I think I looked to my left which is stupid for two reasons: 1) she was on my right and 2) how could there be anyone beside me when I'm against the wall? At school I'm Lauren. At placement I'm Miss Daily. I'm aware that this is in fact my name, but I need something universal to go by to avoid this kind of confusion. The student ended up laughing at me when I jumped and said "Oh, right! That's me!". Points for being smooth?
In religion, they were writing a test so I didn't really get the opportunity to talk to them. I spoke to one kid, he's very nice. And then there was a girl who kept looking at me as if to say: "I'm too bored to melt you with my searing hate rays of death... but if I weren't bored, totally would.". I'm sure she's a lovely person, but I may ask her to wear sunglasses tomorrow when I teach... it freaks me out. Plus, I'd be protected from hate rays. I'm anxious about my lesson tomorrow. I really don't have a clue how it's going to go. At the very least, I'm sure it'll be entertaining. Probably long after the fact but whatever. I'm only 22... statistically I have about 66 years ahead of me.
Finally, I must report that I think something terrifying is happening to me. I think it's an Education thing. I get excited over the strangest things now. For instance, I'm teaching my students punctuation. It so happens that my professor read us a book about the importance of punctuation. It's a picture book but the grade nines will actually be able to understand the more subtle features and irony. So off I went in search of this book. I could not find it in my school library. I was annoyed. I asked for help and we discovered that it just hadn't been put back on the shelf. I was nearly giddy when the librarian put "Punctuation Takes a Vacation" in my hands. That's not normal.
After that, I came home to find a big box on the dining room table. It was for me! I love mail! Except for bills... those the post office could lose. I eagerly opened it knowing that it was my latest book order from Amazon. (As an aside, bravo to Amazon. Amazingly fast delivery.) I may or may not, I'll never admit it, have squealed upon seeing my brand new copy of the Manga Shakespeare version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's a comic book version of the play! I'm going to use it in addition to the written text. So excited! See, NOT NORMAL.
I'm so aware... But that's part of my charm. Right?
Lauren.
That's a really crappy introduction, but, that's all I really have to say about that today. And it had to be said. I'm hoping for the best. That's a lie. I don't hope. I remain cautiously optimistic. That way disappointment isn't completely crippling.
On to more enthusiastic topics! I went back to placement today! I must admit, I was kind of excited. It's nice to be back in class after coming off placement, but it's also nice to be back on placement after a long bout of classes. Goes to show that I'm never happy. EVER! Either way, I got a nice reception from the English students. Of course, I was on youtube at the time and one of the boys sitting next to me got quite a chuckle out of it. It didn't matter that I was looking for material for their class. I would get busted. Another girl came up to me and said "Hi Miss Daily!". I was looking at something on my computer so I hadn't seen her come up. I heard her, but it still took about twenty seconds to realize that she was talking to me. I think I looked to my left which is stupid for two reasons: 1) she was on my right and 2) how could there be anyone beside me when I'm against the wall? At school I'm Lauren. At placement I'm Miss Daily. I'm aware that this is in fact my name, but I need something universal to go by to avoid this kind of confusion. The student ended up laughing at me when I jumped and said "Oh, right! That's me!". Points for being smooth?
In religion, they were writing a test so I didn't really get the opportunity to talk to them. I spoke to one kid, he's very nice. And then there was a girl who kept looking at me as if to say: "I'm too bored to melt you with my searing hate rays of death... but if I weren't bored, totally would.". I'm sure she's a lovely person, but I may ask her to wear sunglasses tomorrow when I teach... it freaks me out. Plus, I'd be protected from hate rays. I'm anxious about my lesson tomorrow. I really don't have a clue how it's going to go. At the very least, I'm sure it'll be entertaining. Probably long after the fact but whatever. I'm only 22... statistically I have about 66 years ahead of me.
Finally, I must report that I think something terrifying is happening to me. I think it's an Education thing. I get excited over the strangest things now. For instance, I'm teaching my students punctuation. It so happens that my professor read us a book about the importance of punctuation. It's a picture book but the grade nines will actually be able to understand the more subtle features and irony. So off I went in search of this book. I could not find it in my school library. I was annoyed. I asked for help and we discovered that it just hadn't been put back on the shelf. I was nearly giddy when the librarian put "Punctuation Takes a Vacation" in my hands. That's not normal.
After that, I came home to find a big box on the dining room table. It was for me! I love mail! Except for bills... those the post office could lose. I eagerly opened it knowing that it was my latest book order from Amazon. (As an aside, bravo to Amazon. Amazingly fast delivery.) I may or may not, I'll never admit it, have squealed upon seeing my brand new copy of the Manga Shakespeare version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's a comic book version of the play! I'm going to use it in addition to the written text. So excited! See, NOT NORMAL.
I'm so aware... But that's part of my charm. Right?
Lauren.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Application 1
It is done! Almost. It is nearly done!
I finished off my grad school application. Just one of them. But still! It's in the envelope, it's addressed, the online forms have been filled out and I am one hundred dollars poorer. All in a day's work. So, March is going to be a busy month. Acceptance/rejection letters will be out. The 73 hour writing competition results will be out. School will be wrapping up. My birthday. WHAT MORE CAN BE CRAMMED INTO A SINGLE MONTH!
Applying came with the usual amount of stress and cursing.
I kept getting kicked back to various pages because I hadn't filled out this section or that section or forgotten to check this or that box. Obviously I accept! DO I REALLY NEED TO CHECK A FRIGGIN' BOX? I tried to pay but the window wouldn't open. I tried again. It wouldn't open. Something about enabling cookies. What was stopping my cookies?
 |
| I KNEW IT! BEHOLD YOUR CONSEQUENCE! |
 |
| MWAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT! |
And I'm leaving out the parts where I had to print my portfolio. The little dude at the counter had no idea what he was doing and the older man in front of me in line was having business cards cut and laminated individually. I then had to buy two envelopes that are roughly twice the size I need them to be. They had small envelopes and large envelopes, but the medium envelope was conspicuously absent. Goldilocks would have been extremely disappointed. It looks quite comical. The envelope doesn't even look half full... So, hopefully the laugh the admissions comity will get out of it will work in my favour.
Tomorrow the actual mailing will take place. Perhaps that won't be an episode.
Lauren.
The Church of Gaviscon
Eggs are not my friends. They are evil.
Gaviscon is my friend. It is kind and merciful.
Yeesh... I think I've been reading the Bible a little too much lately. Yes, I've been looking through the Bible and Post-it Noting like mad! Mad I say!
It will never cease to amaze me how much I actually remember. And for the stuff I didn't remember, google made looking up those passages very easy. All of this is for the world religion class I get to teach. I'm curious to see how they work out. I've been sitting at the dining room table planning away and every so often, I'll ask my parents a question. They usually end up looking at my like I'm crazy (nothing new) or asking "are you sure you want to do that?". No, I'm not completely sure, but I'm curious to see if I'll be able to get the students talking. They're so quiet it's... it's just unusual. I'm not going out of my way to provoke a reaction, but at the same time, I don't think my approach is... what one would expect. My excuse? I'm a history student. Hopefully I can fall back on that again, and again, and again should things go wrong. Have I mentioned my religion professor at school is the superintendent of the board I'm teaching in? The Catholic board? Yeah... no pressure.
"And the Lord sayeth unto Lauren, 'Eat not the eggs, for they are a food that cannot be tolerated by your sensitive stomach. Trust in the Gaviscon for it shall not lead thee astray. Do not let the eggs tempt thee with promises of deliciousness, for such promises are false as are all promises made my foodstuffs. Only the Gaviscon will keep thee in times of difficulty, sorrow and pain.' May the Gaviscon be with thee."
And also with you fellow sufferers! And also with you!
ps: if anyone in power over at the magic Gaviscon factory is reading this, send more Gaviscon!
Lauren.
Gaviscon is my friend. It is kind and merciful.
Yeesh... I think I've been reading the Bible a little too much lately. Yes, I've been looking through the Bible and Post-it Noting like mad! Mad I say!
It will never cease to amaze me how much I actually remember. And for the stuff I didn't remember, google made looking up those passages very easy. All of this is for the world religion class I get to teach. I'm curious to see how they work out. I've been sitting at the dining room table planning away and every so often, I'll ask my parents a question. They usually end up looking at my like I'm crazy (nothing new) or asking "are you sure you want to do that?". No, I'm not completely sure, but I'm curious to see if I'll be able to get the students talking. They're so quiet it's... it's just unusual. I'm not going out of my way to provoke a reaction, but at the same time, I don't think my approach is... what one would expect. My excuse? I'm a history student. Hopefully I can fall back on that again, and again, and again should things go wrong. Have I mentioned my religion professor at school is the superintendent of the board I'm teaching in? The Catholic board? Yeah... no pressure.
Anyway, the eggs and the Gaviscon! I have no idea why, but I felt like having quiche for supper tonight. I knew it probably wouldn't end well. I knew in my soul. The eggs were on my left shoulder, crying out "Eat us Lauren! We'll be ever so delicious!" while the Gaviscon was on my right shoulder calmly saying "Don't do it man... there is not enough Gaviscon in the world." I did not listen to the Gaviscon.
As it turns out both the Gaviscon and the eggs were right. The quiche was ever so delicious. And right now, the Gaviscon is headed off to battle. No news yet on how the campaign is going. Why do I have to have a crazy acid reflux problem! I love food! Why must love hurt? Ugh... love does scar... you just can't tell because the inside of my esophagus isn't visible. I think it would probably be gross if it was visible so I'm at least grateful for that.
And to tie everything in this post together, I would now like it if everyone could bow their head.
Let us pray. From the Book of Heartburn:
"And the Lord sayeth unto Lauren, 'Eat not the eggs, for they are a food that cannot be tolerated by your sensitive stomach. Trust in the Gaviscon for it shall not lead thee astray. Do not let the eggs tempt thee with promises of deliciousness, for such promises are false as are all promises made my foodstuffs. Only the Gaviscon will keep thee in times of difficulty, sorrow and pain.' May the Gaviscon be with thee."
And also with you fellow sufferers! And also with you!
ps: if anyone in power over at the magic Gaviscon factory is reading this, send more Gaviscon!
Lauren.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Pirates Of the... Blahdiblah
I'm back to lesson planning. And how I love it. The upside is that I'm going much faster than before. I'm hoping to be fairly ahead before I have to go back to placement. Because last time, let me just say, ridiculous. I am going to avoid a repeat of that organizational catastrophe if it's the last thing I do before Christmas. So that's what my weekend will be spent doing. I spent a good portion of tonight cruising youtube and digging up Bible quotes. Did I mention I'm teaching Christianity?
Tonight however, after my lesson planning marathon, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4. I don't remember the long ass title, but you know what I'm talking about. Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner opted out of this one. Instead we followed the story of Jack Sparrow exclusively.
Guess where the story starts. If you guessed with Jack Sparrow being charged with piracy, you'd be right. Isn't that how the other three movies start? There's a scene of rafter duelling (as in the first movie). There's a scene where a ship goes down due to scary monsters (second and third movie). We have the return of Captain Barbossa who will not die. And yes, the monkey makes a cameo appearance. There's a mutiny. There's a magic ship. They sail to a mythical location. There's a dual at the mythical location. There was a war. There's a life and death switcheroo. Honestly, it was a lot like watching the first, second and third movies all crammed together. But without Elizabeth and Will. This time the romantic storyline is fulfilled in part by Jack and Penelope Cruz and in part by some dude and a mermaid. Yes, I did say mermaid. I kind of liked the idea of the mermaid though... Oh! I almost forgot! The Pearl makes its return. Again. It's been lost and Jack finds it! At this point does it really matter that there's also another marooning? ZOMBIE CREW! I forgot about them... see what I mean? The four movies just sort of... blend.
I wasn't overly impressed. There were the classic, slapstick comedy moments. There were tiny interesting bits. But there wasn't enough new or even remotely different content to make this movie good. Entertained? Sure, it was alright. More than that? Definitely not. I wouldn't have bought it. No one ever quits while they're ahead. Why don't people quit while they're ahead? I liked the first Pirates. The following two were... a stretch for me but not bad necessarily. I can't really bring myself to care about this one.
Highlights... Spotting Judi Dench. She was "molested" by Jack Sparrow. Also, Vernon Dursley makes an appearance. That was fun. There were some alright boob shots though I suppose that's to be expected in a movie with about two women (one with a fishtail). The updated Indiana Jones moment was kind of neat.
All in all... nothing special.
Lauren.
Tonight however, after my lesson planning marathon, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4. I don't remember the long ass title, but you know what I'm talking about. Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner opted out of this one. Instead we followed the story of Jack Sparrow exclusively.
Guess where the story starts. If you guessed with Jack Sparrow being charged with piracy, you'd be right. Isn't that how the other three movies start? There's a scene of rafter duelling (as in the first movie). There's a scene where a ship goes down due to scary monsters (second and third movie). We have the return of Captain Barbossa who will not die. And yes, the monkey makes a cameo appearance. There's a mutiny. There's a magic ship. They sail to a mythical location. There's a dual at the mythical location. There was a war. There's a life and death switcheroo. Honestly, it was a lot like watching the first, second and third movies all crammed together. But without Elizabeth and Will. This time the romantic storyline is fulfilled in part by Jack and Penelope Cruz and in part by some dude and a mermaid. Yes, I did say mermaid. I kind of liked the idea of the mermaid though... Oh! I almost forgot! The Pearl makes its return. Again. It's been lost and Jack finds it! At this point does it really matter that there's also another marooning? ZOMBIE CREW! I forgot about them... see what I mean? The four movies just sort of... blend.
I wasn't overly impressed. There were the classic, slapstick comedy moments. There were tiny interesting bits. But there wasn't enough new or even remotely different content to make this movie good. Entertained? Sure, it was alright. More than that? Definitely not. I wouldn't have bought it. No one ever quits while they're ahead. Why don't people quit while they're ahead? I liked the first Pirates. The following two were... a stretch for me but not bad necessarily. I can't really bring myself to care about this one.
Highlights... Spotting Judi Dench. She was "molested" by Jack Sparrow. Also, Vernon Dursley makes an appearance. That was fun. There were some alright boob shots though I suppose that's to be expected in a movie with about two women (one with a fishtail). The updated Indiana Jones moment was kind of neat.
All in all... nothing special.
Lauren.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Clip Show
I have to say, I had a pretty good day today. I had a lovely conversation with Veronica. I got my last letter of reference so I can mail off my grad school application by the end of the week. The day, while long, went by rather quickly. And things that should have bothered me, didn't.
Since I was in a good mood, I spent some time considering what I'd be teaching in a week. I get to teach grammar. Yay. How does one make grammar fun? I don't know. I'm still working on it. I asked youtube and this is what I got.
While that's pretty amusing, I don't think the grade nines will know who Dean Martin is. I don't even know who the other guy is and I'm secretly eighty. For a more practical approach, I found the following.
How can you argue with that? It's lovely, really it is, but it's just not quite... what I'm looking for. I turned to Family Guy for assistance.
... (that's all I have to say about that clip)
The quest continues! Yes, I made my blog into a clip show. Because I'm that friggin' talented.
Lauren.
Since I was in a good mood, I spent some time considering what I'd be teaching in a week. I get to teach grammar. Yay. How does one make grammar fun? I don't know. I'm still working on it. I asked youtube and this is what I got.
While that's pretty amusing, I don't think the grade nines will know who Dean Martin is. I don't even know who the other guy is and I'm secretly eighty. For a more practical approach, I found the following.
How can you argue with that? It's lovely, really it is, but it's just not quite... what I'm looking for. I turned to Family Guy for assistance.
... (that's all I have to say about that clip)
The quest continues! Yes, I made my blog into a clip show. Because I'm that friggin' talented.
Lauren.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Alarm Clock Situation
I've always had an amazing inner clock. I just wake up on time. It's not a routine thing. I just know that I have to wake up at a certain time and I do. Usually an hour or half an hour before I need to. I don't know why this happens, but that's just how I've always been.
Lately I've been very tired and I've been sleeping passed the time I need to be awake. I did discover that I can deploy in twenty minutes but that's not at all enjoyable. I was talking about my recent string of hasty departures and my mom suggested that she could wake me up before she leaves. That sounded lovely. The next morning, I woke up at nine and ran out of the house ten minutes later to catch the bus. My mom forgot. I know she forgot because we never brought it up. Well! I decided that I'd just have to be like the rest of the world and set my alarm. I my cassette/radio/alarm clock for eight o'clock.
Promptly at eight, some dreadful pop song woke me up. Fifteen minutes later, my mom knocked on the door to get me up before leaving for work. I thought it was strange but whatever right? The next day, I again set my alarm. I wasn't prepared to leave anything up to chance. Everything is coming due this week. I have to be there even more than usual. My alarm went off again. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, my mom came to wake me up.
I spent some time wondering what the hell was going on. Finally, I came to the conclusion that she could hear the music from my radio and would at that point remember that I am in fact still here. She's asked me again if I'd like for her to wake me up. I said yes... we'll see. I've set the alarm regardless.
Otherwise, I have to admit that I feel like an ass. I ran into a friend that I haven't seen or talked to in months and all I could say was, I'll email you. How douchy is that? Yet another downside to BEd. I secretly think our lack of ability to socialize outside of our immediate BEd people is the reason for sections... just so you have some emotional/mental support. How many of my pre-BEd friends have I hung out with this year? One. And what did I do with her? I brought her to my How To Teach History Class. God I'm awful. I was a good friend before this! I swear I was! Come Christmas I'm going to hang out with my former friends until they're positively sick of me. I'm going to try anyway.
That's all I've got for today. I have a few more emails to send and then off to bed I go. Long day tomorrow.
Lauren.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A Pride Incident Beyond Stupid
How nutso-crazy has it been lately? Very. I missed my own outaversary! For shame!
Well, my outaversary (anniversary of my coming out) was on the 19th of this month... I think that makes four years now. How times flies. It's ironic that my outaversary fell during the week our Pride club was nearly disbanded. Yup, disbanded. This is why I was pissed off yesterday.
One could imagine such a threat coming from the university admin, from some religion-based club... but no. Nope, as far as I can tell, admin and the religious people are either happy that we exist or they don't care. So, who nearly wrecked Pride? The gays. It was an inside job. You know that drama we're famous for? This person dated that person's ex but we're still friends? Apparently vindictive exes and facebook don't go well together. Comments were made, sensibilities offended and voila! Complaints made to the student government and administration. Given that I've been trying (with three other girls) to get a decent Pride group going here for about three years, I was livid that the first real chance we had was being sabotaged from within. It made me remember why I didn't want to get involved in Pride this year.
After much arguing and me getting so angry that I actually stood up and ranted a bit, (I'm told the other execs ranted after I left) everything has turned out alright. We still have Pride but now everyone is walking on eggshells. Lovely isn't it? I'm choosing to believe that it's because I seldom yell or say anything and now they're all scared of me. I prefer that version to what actually happened... talk about stupid.
So, that's why I was beyond angry yesterday. As for today, I had a much better day. The weather, which has finally started to look/feel like winter, was nice. I handed in two assignments. I got a free large pop which was nice even though it resulted in a really urgent need to pee a while later. I have a far more detailed plan of what I'm teaching come Monday. Once I got over being overwhelmed I was happy. There was also this moment that involved a seagull (animal rights activists turn away) who was walking on an iced over rooftop. He was slipping all over the place and it was kind of hilarious. Eventually he got the hang of it and just glided ever so slightly when he took a step forward. That's how tired I was today... I wasn't the only one laughing! On the inside I actually felt a kind of solidarity with that seagull. I knew that if I were in his... feet, that I would look much worse. Rock on seagull! Rock on!
With that, I bid you all a goodnight.
Lauren.
Well, my outaversary (anniversary of my coming out) was on the 19th of this month... I think that makes four years now. How times flies. It's ironic that my outaversary fell during the week our Pride club was nearly disbanded. Yup, disbanded. This is why I was pissed off yesterday.
One could imagine such a threat coming from the university admin, from some religion-based club... but no. Nope, as far as I can tell, admin and the religious people are either happy that we exist or they don't care. So, who nearly wrecked Pride? The gays. It was an inside job. You know that drama we're famous for? This person dated that person's ex but we're still friends? Apparently vindictive exes and facebook don't go well together. Comments were made, sensibilities offended and voila! Complaints made to the student government and administration. Given that I've been trying (with three other girls) to get a decent Pride group going here for about three years, I was livid that the first real chance we had was being sabotaged from within. It made me remember why I didn't want to get involved in Pride this year.
After much arguing and me getting so angry that I actually stood up and ranted a bit, (I'm told the other execs ranted after I left) everything has turned out alright. We still have Pride but now everyone is walking on eggshells. Lovely isn't it? I'm choosing to believe that it's because I seldom yell or say anything and now they're all scared of me. I prefer that version to what actually happened... talk about stupid.
So, that's why I was beyond angry yesterday. As for today, I had a much better day. The weather, which has finally started to look/feel like winter, was nice. I handed in two assignments. I got a free large pop which was nice even though it resulted in a really urgent need to pee a while later. I have a far more detailed plan of what I'm teaching come Monday. Once I got over being overwhelmed I was happy. There was also this moment that involved a seagull (animal rights activists turn away) who was walking on an iced over rooftop. He was slipping all over the place and it was kind of hilarious. Eventually he got the hang of it and just glided ever so slightly when he took a step forward. That's how tired I was today... I wasn't the only one laughing! On the inside I actually felt a kind of solidarity with that seagull. I knew that if I were in his... feet, that I would look much worse. Rock on seagull! Rock on!
With that, I bid you all a goodnight.
Lauren.
I'm Pissed (in two parts)
Part 1
Can't blog... too sleepy.
Too much work.
Good day before 9:30... then all went downhill. Lauren ANGRY! Lauren also got to sort of blow up at people which felt good.
Lauren will explain more when she's bathed and slept.
Good morning to you all.
--------------------------------------------------------
Part 2 will be posted at a more reasonable hour.
Well, it is a more reasonable hour. It's now nearing two o'clock in the afternoon. I'm sitting in the cafeteria with two of my friends. We're all wondering why the hell we're still here. Actually, we're watching youtube videos of cute things.
After that we watched a cute bunny. Girl Alex suggested watching a cute owl but I finally put my foot down. The "awwwwwing" is making me nauseous. After I asked her if she was on her period.
Apparently not. We're just all in such a bad mood that we need cute, soft, innocent things to divert our attention.
So... yeah, that's life right now. And while I'm not in a great mood, I'm no longer pissed.
Lauren.
Can't blog... too sleepy.
Too much work.
Good day before 9:30... then all went downhill. Lauren ANGRY! Lauren also got to sort of blow up at people which felt good.
Lauren will explain more when she's bathed and slept.
Good morning to you all.
--------------------------------------------------------
Part 2 will be posted at a more reasonable hour.
Well, it is a more reasonable hour. It's now nearing two o'clock in the afternoon. I'm sitting in the cafeteria with two of my friends. We're all wondering why the hell we're still here. Actually, we're watching youtube videos of cute things.
After that we watched a cute bunny. Girl Alex suggested watching a cute owl but I finally put my foot down. The "awwwwwing" is making me nauseous. After I asked her if she was on her period.
Apparently not. We're just all in such a bad mood that we need cute, soft, innocent things to divert our attention.
So... yeah, that's life right now. And while I'm not in a great mood, I'm no longer pissed.
Lauren.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
That's my Leg!
I spent the day doing homework. I know. I'm so exciting it's scary! What's next bungee jumping? Well! I'll have you know that I was working on my Mac and for a while, it wasn't plugged in! And! When I was prompted to start the time machine feature, I turned it down. Now you know. I am a rebel.
Seriously though, I spent a chunk of my day explaining why Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief would be a good resource to incorporate in a grade 11 open history or a grade 12 workplace history. I read the curriculum and explained my opinion by relating parts of the book back to the curriculum expectations. If that doesn't get your motor runnin' wait until you hear what I did next. Was that a shiver of anticipation?
I continued to work on my unit plan. To be honest, I'm a bit upset. We have to adapt a unit plan and my unit plan is awesome! At least the content is. The kids in my class would have loved it! If only I'd had this stupid assignment earlier... Or, perhaps I needed to finish it earlier. I don't remember when he gave it to us. Oh well. Such is life. It won't be completely wasted. If I don't use elements of it on my upcoming placement I'll always have it if I get to teach poetry again.
What with all that interesting blah-di-blah out of the way, I can tell you all of the strange happenings that... happened, during the federation meeting we were forced to attend last Friday (two hours after our last class. Boo!). In a show of style and compassion for my rear end, the powers that be decided this meeting would take place in the gym. They pulled down the old-ass wooden bleachers that are more of a safety hazard than anything else. I shouldn't sink two inches when I take a step forward. I'm not that heavy thank you very much.
Anyway, my back started to hurt shortly after my ass completely went numb. I suppose the girl in front of me was having a similar problem. She leaned back and ended up resting against my leg. She didn't move off right away either. I was just sitting there, staring at her wondering WTF? when she turned and looked at me. Because I'm me all I said was "Hello," in a weird accent. She snorted and got off my leg.
After that, I don't remember what she said to prompt this comment, but I ended up saying "as opposed to lounging on my leg?". I guess she thought that she had something to prove after that. She leaned back again and this time, I don't know why, her head wound up between my legs and she was looking up at me with this smirk... who smirks!? My clever retort to that was "And now you're in my lap". Again she snorted and sat up straight (or maybe not so straight?) and happily out of my personal space. I hate when people get in my personal space when they aren't invited! And I wonder why I'm single... really.
In conclusion, I was uncomfortable, she thought it was funny and I don't know what to make of the encounter. When do I ever know what to make of anything? If it's not in a book I won't understand it without several days of pondering it. (For the sake of not starting rumours, this girl had a boyfriend up until recently. Just putting it out there.)
I will now maturely state that: Girls are stupid-faces! eat some Gaviscon and go to bed.
Lauren.
Seriously though, I spent a chunk of my day explaining why Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief would be a good resource to incorporate in a grade 11 open history or a grade 12 workplace history. I read the curriculum and explained my opinion by relating parts of the book back to the curriculum expectations. If that doesn't get your motor runnin' wait until you hear what I did next. Was that a shiver of anticipation?
I continued to work on my unit plan. To be honest, I'm a bit upset. We have to adapt a unit plan and my unit plan is awesome! At least the content is. The kids in my class would have loved it! If only I'd had this stupid assignment earlier... Or, perhaps I needed to finish it earlier. I don't remember when he gave it to us. Oh well. Such is life. It won't be completely wasted. If I don't use elements of it on my upcoming placement I'll always have it if I get to teach poetry again.
What with all that interesting blah-di-blah out of the way, I can tell you all of the strange happenings that... happened, during the federation meeting we were forced to attend last Friday (two hours after our last class. Boo!). In a show of style and compassion for my rear end, the powers that be decided this meeting would take place in the gym. They pulled down the old-ass wooden bleachers that are more of a safety hazard than anything else. I shouldn't sink two inches when I take a step forward. I'm not that heavy thank you very much.
Anyway, my back started to hurt shortly after my ass completely went numb. I suppose the girl in front of me was having a similar problem. She leaned back and ended up resting against my leg. She didn't move off right away either. I was just sitting there, staring at her wondering WTF? when she turned and looked at me. Because I'm me all I said was "Hello," in a weird accent. She snorted and got off my leg.
After that, I don't remember what she said to prompt this comment, but I ended up saying "as opposed to lounging on my leg?". I guess she thought that she had something to prove after that. She leaned back again and this time, I don't know why, her head wound up between my legs and she was looking up at me with this smirk... who smirks!? My clever retort to that was "And now you're in my lap". Again she snorted and sat up straight (or maybe not so straight?) and happily out of my personal space. I hate when people get in my personal space when they aren't invited! And I wonder why I'm single... really.
In conclusion, I was uncomfortable, she thought it was funny and I don't know what to make of the encounter. When do I ever know what to make of anything? If it's not in a book I won't understand it without several days of pondering it. (For the sake of not starting rumours, this girl had a boyfriend up until recently. Just putting it out there.)
I will now maturely state that: Girls are stupid-faces! eat some Gaviscon and go to bed.
Lauren.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
BA in BEd (End of term phenomenon)
Some things just don't change. I've been bitching (something that won't ever change) about how I miss my BA. Right now I'd probably be scrambling to finish up assignments and study for midterms. It was always a productive, stressful, reading/writing intensive period. I came to expect it, work with it and even enjoy it. There are few feelings like making it through the last weeks before the end of term. At last something in my BEd is remeniscent of a period in my life I actually enjoyed. I'm fully aware of how weird that sounds but seriously, BA students, you don't know what you've got until it's gone!
Today I finished off two minor assignments. Tomorrow I'll finish off an inappropriately named third assignment and then focus my attention on the lengthy unit plan my Curriculum professor has decided he wants us to write. He kind of reminds me of a leprechaun.. if only he were shorter. He pops up out of nowhere, he's got a very strange sense of humour where you feel you're only getting half of his joke (no matter how clever you are) and he has a violent mind... he's expressed pleasure at the thought of electrocuting us. Either way, when I hand in my unit plan, I'll be finished with all my assignments for the term. After that it's pretty smooth sailing, just a multiple choice test in Spec Ed. I love Spec Ed so I'm not at all worried about it.
Although, this week only marks the end of my... academic classes. I'll be back out on placement for three weeks. I'm a combination of more comfortable and more anxious. I've taught these kids before, I know my way around the school, so I have a better idea of what I'm doing, I have a better idea of what to expect. On the other hand, I'm being evaluated. Which actually reminds me... I should confirm that.
How can I have so many little things to do? I think I'm going to jot down "agenda" on my Christmas list.
By the way, professors, "OPTION assignment" is not an appropriate name for an assignment. Talk about false advertising. Can I sue? It's not an option if I have to do it. Think about that.
Lauren.
Today I finished off two minor assignments. Tomorrow I'll finish off an inappropriately named third assignment and then focus my attention on the lengthy unit plan my Curriculum professor has decided he wants us to write. He kind of reminds me of a leprechaun.. if only he were shorter. He pops up out of nowhere, he's got a very strange sense of humour where you feel you're only getting half of his joke (no matter how clever you are) and he has a violent mind... he's expressed pleasure at the thought of electrocuting us. Either way, when I hand in my unit plan, I'll be finished with all my assignments for the term. After that it's pretty smooth sailing, just a multiple choice test in Spec Ed. I love Spec Ed so I'm not at all worried about it.
Although, this week only marks the end of my... academic classes. I'll be back out on placement for three weeks. I'm a combination of more comfortable and more anxious. I've taught these kids before, I know my way around the school, so I have a better idea of what I'm doing, I have a better idea of what to expect. On the other hand, I'm being evaluated. Which actually reminds me... I should confirm that.
How can I have so many little things to do? I think I'm going to jot down "agenda" on my Christmas list.
By the way, professors, "OPTION assignment" is not an appropriate name for an assignment. Talk about false advertising. Can I sue? It's not an option if I have to do it. Think about that.
Lauren.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Bully Question
I’m told the BEd experience depends largely on spending time with your section. Sections are like… homeroom classes. We have five classes in which we’re all together. Outside of those we have four or five classes that focus on our subject areas or topics of interest.
That’s what’s supposed to happen. What actually happens is rather more… interesting and shockingly ordinary. Because you’re together with the same people day in and day out, you form friendships, you fall into cliques. Some people you like. Other people’s voices make you want to jump out a window. The other thing that happens is bullying. I find that hilariously ironic.
We had an incident of bullying today in one of my classes (first bit of irony: it happened in spec ed). One of my classmates made a snide comment about another. He was extremely loud and he made his comment in front of our entire section. Our professor wasn’t in the room at the time as we were filling in professor evaluation forms. Forty of us looked up all wondering what the hell was going on. It was just that random. The student the comment was directed at promptly left the room. We were all still staring at the person who made the comment. I called him a douche. A girl sitting in the middle of the class reprimanded him far more effectively. Later, as I was leaving, I found the girl in the bathroom (we always wind up there don't we?) and was surprised but also pleased to see her surrounded by four other girls. One of her male friends had sent her a text message asking if she was okay and apologized for not being female and allowed in the girl's room.
I think this highlights another terrible shortcoming of the BEd experience. We are constantly being told that we can’t put our students in a position where they will feel stupid. We can’t tolerate bullying of any kind. We have to make our classrooms safe, welcoming, inclusive places. Yet here we are, adults who have allegedly matured and learned to control our impulses, doing the same thing kids would. We’re doing things we’re being specifically trained to spot, stop and avoid. Weird isn’t it?
I recognize the cliquish nature of the program and I’m trying to stay out of it. I don’t engage in anyone’s drama, I don’t sit in a regular place, I don’t avoid talking to anyone. Then again, I’m not naturally a social person so that works for me. I don’t know… if I were more social, I don’t know that I would be able to stay out of the drama.
That's my question for today. So I'm clear, I absolutely do not condone bullying. I was bullied for a long time by a variety of people. I know what it feels like and I would never want anyone to go through that. I'm just wondering if we can ever expect bullying to stop.
Lauren.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Finally a Picture
It may not seem like it, but I've actually been trying to find something that accurately describes my feelings toward this year. I've written about being angry and frustrated and disillusioned, but those are just words. I'm not usually one to diminish the power of words, but me saying that I'm disillusioned and frustrated can mean a lot of things to different people. I've been looking for something more... descriptive. After this week... it finally came to me.
I've had a persistent headache, I've felt painful pressure behind my eyes... I think the kid might be onto something. Just to be sure, I continued my research. I found the following and I have to say, it fits how I'm feeling perfectly.
So, Arnold, you are wrong. I've been repressing my feelings and as a result, I have a school induced tumor. I really hate my life right now. This is the first time in over six months when my anxiety has gotten the better of me. I have a lot going on right now and I don't feel like being trapped in a classroom when I could be getting the things that are stressing me out, out of my way. The anxiety is also causing me to get frustrated and angry faster. I mostly just want to be by myself but that's virtually impossible. In seven days a lot of that stress will be gone. Three weeks after that I'll have a much needed break.
Yet another shitty day. Cannot wait for this week to end.
I've had a persistent headache, I've felt painful pressure behind my eyes... I think the kid might be onto something. Just to be sure, I continued my research. I found the following and I have to say, it fits how I'm feeling perfectly.
So, Arnold, you are wrong. I've been repressing my feelings and as a result, I have a school induced tumor. I really hate my life right now. This is the first time in over six months when my anxiety has gotten the better of me. I have a lot going on right now and I don't feel like being trapped in a classroom when I could be getting the things that are stressing me out, out of my way. The anxiety is also causing me to get frustrated and angry faster. I mostly just want to be by myself but that's virtually impossible. In seven days a lot of that stress will be gone. Three weeks after that I'll have a much needed break.
Yet another shitty day. Cannot wait for this week to end.
Lauren.
Doors and Presses
In many ways today was not only better, but more productive than most of my recent days. About two days ago I finally cleaned out my inbox. It took me about two hours. There were nearly 800 messages dating back to April. I scrapped about 650 of them and saved the rest. Some were about school, some were about projects I'm working on, some are a part of my new CYA policy. Either way, two days ago, my inbox was empty. As of right now, I have about forty messages. I think now would be a good time to remind people that I don't have Facebook and that I do not follow anyone on Twitter or whatever other things people follow people on.
This productive-ish day began at 9:00 am. I never sleep that late. I'm supposed to be out of the house, speed walking to catch a bus by 9:20. Surprise! I can deploy in under twenty minutes. I got dressed (not in comfortable clothes as it turns out), I brushed my teeth, I didn't have time to eat so I packed food, I hunted down my school crap and I was gone. What did I forget? My anti-crazy pills. Fortunately, I only had one two hour class so my crazy wasn't noticeable.
I made it to the bus stop, had a random conversation with a random girl I had a class with three years ago. She doesn't remember me. I don't remember what her name is. We talked about my bus conspiracies. You'd think that would by my crazy sneaking out, but no. That's just regular me.
How to teach history class was interesting. As usual. We got into a debate about who the top five most influential people between 1000-1999 were. I wound up having something of a revelation. No one in my class picked Gutenburg. Not Steve.
I'm talking about the earlier one. The German one who invented the printing press and moveable type. This one:
Dude was always in debt, he'd never been educated beyond his trade, he wasn't a genius, he was a tradesman. But he still made it to the top of the list of most influential historical figures between 1000-1999. He beat out Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare, Martin Luther, all hugely important, all educated, all geniuses. Why? How? Education, intelligence and money are markers of brilliance! How could an uneducated, average intelligence debtor triumph? Let's think. Where would Shakespeare, Darwin, Newton and Luther be without the printing press? Luther: wouldn't have been able to nail his theses to the Church door or translate the Bible into German. He would be a religious malcontent and nothing more. No Protestantism. Shakespeare: might be a famous playwright... if any of his limited hand written copies survived. Darwin, Newton: we would know nothing about our monkey uncles or the laws that make those uncles fall out of trees. Even if you aren't a genius with some incredible purpose in life like discovering the origins of man, you can still make an unfathomable contribution to the world. This is what I mean by working at what you love and your excellence being recognized! Anyone can do something amazing. See, mind blown. I wasn't the only one kind of bothered by not thinking of Gutenburg.
After that I made it home and resumed my email extravaganza. I need to get my grad school applications out. I was emailing profs back and forth, flooding their emails and probably making them a little crazy. I finally took my meds but I still possess the ability to make other people feel crazy. I ended up discovering that I'm now only applying to two schools. I have no idea how I missed it, but one school required me to take a test. The nearest one is this Saturday two hours away from where I live and it costs nearly 200$. Not gonna happen. Not on top of the 110$ application fee and other fees I have to pay just so they'll look at my application. I'm ambitious, but I'm also practical and more importantly, cheap. And I'm allowed to be cheap because I don't have a job. On the bright side, I don't think I ever would have ended up there anyway. It was nice to dream but realistically... I don't know that I would have handled being THAT independent well. I'm kind of taking it as a sign.
I'm now concentrating on a new door since one has been closed.
Lauren.
This productive-ish day began at 9:00 am. I never sleep that late. I'm supposed to be out of the house, speed walking to catch a bus by 9:20. Surprise! I can deploy in under twenty minutes. I got dressed (not in comfortable clothes as it turns out), I brushed my teeth, I didn't have time to eat so I packed food, I hunted down my school crap and I was gone. What did I forget? My anti-crazy pills. Fortunately, I only had one two hour class so my crazy wasn't noticeable.
I made it to the bus stop, had a random conversation with a random girl I had a class with three years ago. She doesn't remember me. I don't remember what her name is. We talked about my bus conspiracies. You'd think that would by my crazy sneaking out, but no. That's just regular me.
How to teach history class was interesting. As usual. We got into a debate about who the top five most influential people between 1000-1999 were. I wound up having something of a revelation. No one in my class picked Gutenburg. Not Steve.
Dude was always in debt, he'd never been educated beyond his trade, he wasn't a genius, he was a tradesman. But he still made it to the top of the list of most influential historical figures between 1000-1999. He beat out Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare, Martin Luther, all hugely important, all educated, all geniuses. Why? How? Education, intelligence and money are markers of brilliance! How could an uneducated, average intelligence debtor triumph? Let's think. Where would Shakespeare, Darwin, Newton and Luther be without the printing press? Luther: wouldn't have been able to nail his theses to the Church door or translate the Bible into German. He would be a religious malcontent and nothing more. No Protestantism. Shakespeare: might be a famous playwright... if any of his limited hand written copies survived. Darwin, Newton: we would know nothing about our monkey uncles or the laws that make those uncles fall out of trees. Even if you aren't a genius with some incredible purpose in life like discovering the origins of man, you can still make an unfathomable contribution to the world. This is what I mean by working at what you love and your excellence being recognized! Anyone can do something amazing. See, mind blown. I wasn't the only one kind of bothered by not thinking of Gutenburg.
After that I made it home and resumed my email extravaganza. I need to get my grad school applications out. I was emailing profs back and forth, flooding their emails and probably making them a little crazy. I finally took my meds but I still possess the ability to make other people feel crazy. I ended up discovering that I'm now only applying to two schools. I have no idea how I missed it, but one school required me to take a test. The nearest one is this Saturday two hours away from where I live and it costs nearly 200$. Not gonna happen. Not on top of the 110$ application fee and other fees I have to pay just so they'll look at my application. I'm ambitious, but I'm also practical and more importantly, cheap. And I'm allowed to be cheap because I don't have a job. On the bright side, I don't think I ever would have ended up there anyway. It was nice to dream but realistically... I don't know that I would have handled being THAT independent well. I'm kind of taking it as a sign.
I'm now concentrating on a new door since one has been closed.
Lauren.
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